Statutory adjudication has been a great success in the UK, where
it was first introduced. Other jurisdictions are following the UK
lead and introducing more flexibility to the process.
Over the course of the last 16 years, the UK construction
industry has become increasingly familiar with statutory
adjudication, introduced as part of the Housing Grants,
Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (HGCRA 1996) in 1998.
Initially designed to abolish bad payment practices in the industry
and improve cash flow, adjudication was also intended to deal with
works being suspended for long periods of time whilst lengthy
disputes were resolved. With the introduction of adjudication, it
has become possible to obtain a decision in just 28 days, and if
court enforcement is required, this generally takes place within a
further 14 days.
